


HARD-REST

by Trashcanfiction



Category: Borderlands, Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: Body Horror, Choking, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Identity Issues, Loss of Identity, Mental Instability, Mind Rape
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-12
Updated: 2015-09-12
Packaged: 2018-04-20 09:15:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4781918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trashcanfiction/pseuds/Trashcanfiction
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An alternative turn of events for the Trust Jack route.</p>
            </blockquote>





	HARD-REST

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first borderlands Fanfic! Gonna see how this goes!

It had all started with a promotion. A simple, routine day at Hyperion had gone from hopeful, to what Vaughn had thought would be the worst day of his life. All those years of hard work, the ass patting, the white lies, the black lies, the back stabbing, the collective guilt ridden sleepless nights; all of it out the window; literally! 

And sure Hyperion was infamous for its ruthlessness, what company worth their salt in this galaxy wasn't? But at least seven years ago people hadn't casually murdered their bosses! 'Jacking it to the top' had gone from a humorous, if not crude; allegory about sucking up to your betters, into something an employee would say about someone with worry and dread, probably while avoiding air locks.

Vasquez had gone and done it. The fact that he had had the balls to kill Henderson for the man's job, or that Hyperion had let him do it; was what had made Vaughn so sure the Vault Key deal had been real. They hadn't even considered a con job, not him, not Rhys, not even Yvette. The three of them had just been so focused on screwing their new 'boss' over as quickly as possible. But the perfect plan to steal the deal of a life time had gone from bad, to worse, to losing ten million 'borrowed' dollars in one night. Now they were stuck on Pandora with two con women, no money; and the real possibility of becoming Hyperion's most wanted. 

All things considered, the short accountant had survived. Hell, Vaughn had even started to enjoy himself after the second or third near death experience.  
Rhys on the other hand...

_Rhys..._

Vaughn was slumped on the ground, his vision speckled as his brain threatened to ooze back into unconsciousness. There were noises all around him; loose electrical sounds that popped and sizzled and mixed with the hiss of steam escaping pipes. Lights were flashing, emergency lights that bathed everything in a harsh neon red. He blinked, trying to focus on the shapes and colors around him, half wondering if this was some kind of dream. He tried to push himself up, but was met with a sharp series of stinging sensations against his arm. It took Vaughn a moment to realize there was glass everywhere. 

"R-rhys?"

Vaughn's voice came out hoarse as he struggled to sit up right, avoiding the shards of glass as best he could. His body was losing the numbness of shock, allowing the accounted to feel every stinging cut and bruise. He must have been covered in them.  
You didn't stand in front of a giant open window as it shattered and come out unscathed. 

"dammit! Keep your hand over the wound!" A familiar voice broke through Vaughn's jumbled thoughts. He squinted, reaching up to adjust his glasses in hopes of seeing better. When his fingers touched nothing but skin he groaned. No wonder everything was a blurred mess.

The voice spoke again, strained and panicked. "Shit...Shit just stay still Sasha, I got you."

"Fiona?" He could make out two blurred shapes on the far side of the room. 

"Vaughn! I need your help! Get over here now! Please! Sasha's hurt!"

Ignoring the pain the accountant pushed himself on shaky legs towards the two women, nearly tripping before he managed half fall, half kneel beside them.

Sasha had been propped up against wall. Blood was running down her collar bone in thick violent streaks, the front of her white top almost completely stained red. Fiona was sitting on her knees, pressing her hands against the right side of her sisters neck as blood pooled through her fingers. Vaughn didn't need clear vision to see that was bad.

."Crap! W-what happened? Where is everyon-!"

Before Vaughn could get another word in Fiona had seized his arm, and with several quick practiced motions, ripped the sleeve of his shirt clean off. There was a protest on the man's lips, but the sight of Sasha's heavy breathing as she struggled not to go into shock stopped them dead.

Fiona pressed the ruins of Vaughn's sleeve against Sasha's wound, biting her lip when the cloth blossomed red. 

"It's okay. You're gonna be okay Sash, I'm pretty sure it missed the artery, we just...Vaughn hold this here!" 

Hands that were shaking with more than just adrenalin grabbed Vaughn's so quick he almost pulled back."Wait! I don't Kn-"

"Just press against the wound with the fabric to stop the bleeding. I need to find a first aid kit." When she was sure Vaughn wasn't going to let go, she got up and began searching the now eerily silent room. 

Vaughn turned back to Sasha who, much to the accountants confusion, was glaring hard at him. "I can't believe-." 

Sasha sucked in a breath, her body trembling as beads of sweat formed on her forehead."- He would...he just- he shot at us!" 

Vaughn knitted his brows, staring at Sasha. The crimson lighting made the shadows on her face look so much deeper. 

"Who?...You mean when the security drones attacked?" Vaughn looked around, making out body after body in pools of still drying blood. There were downed bots as well, covered in what Vaughn could only assume were bullet holes. Augusts guys had gone down fighting, but none of the bodies seemed to be him, or Vasquez for that matter. 

Fiona was suddenly at Sasha's side again, now armed with a bright red syringe. Her sisters return didn't stop Sash's utter glare of betrayal however. 

"No! I mean when Rhys sicced those damn kill-bots on everyone! Ah-!"

She cringed as Fiona stuck the needle into her flesh, and to Vaughn's horror and growing guilt, could tell she was fighting back tears. Fiona placed a reassuring hand on her sisters shoulder. "Save your breath Sash, you've lost a lot of blood."  
"Yeah? And whose fault is that?!" It was more an accusation then an actual question. 

Fiona signaled for Vaughn to move his hand, she could take things from here. Vaughn stepped back without question, unable to meet either sisters eyes for reasons he didn't yet understand. 

Sasha's words rang in his ears as he thought back to what had happened. The bots that had been circling Rhys and Fiona, they had stopped... and had turned towards the window. 

They had shot the glass out.

He turned towards the empty window frame, cool blue eyes scanning over the scene while memories resurfaced. Everything had happened so fast, but Vaughn did remember the way Rhys had been standing, the way the taller man had moved his robot arm...  
No way, that was impossible. Vaughn knew for a fact that his friends echo system wasn't THAT advanced. And even if it was, Rhys wouldn't have put them all in danger like that, would he?

Relief washed over both of them when Sasha's breathing started to become even. Fiona finally taking a moment to let out a breath Vaughn hadn't known she was holding. When the younger woman had enough strength to sit up, Fiona allowed Sasha to hold the cloth against the wound herself.

"Where's Rhys?" Vaughn finally managed to ask.

Fiona looked up at the short accountant, her manner much calmer now that Sasha was stabilizing, but Vaughn could sense the tension just radiating off the older woman."When the drones started shooting up the place your boss tried to make a run for it, Rhys ran after him." She cocked her head towards one of the long corridors leading deeper into the facility.

Vaughn tensed up, hundreds of possible scenarios racing across his mind; most consisting of Rhys getting a bullet in the brain from Vasquez. Fiona didn't even need to ask when he started running out the room at full speed. There was a part of her that wanted to call him back, but she wouldn't have been able to explain why.

Vaughn hadn't been in the chamber with Rhys. He wouldn't understand.

Sasha coughed, cursing as the motion made her body hurt even more than it already did."...I knew we shouldn't have trusted them." Her tone was hollow and factual. 

Fiona sat down next to her with a sigh, pressing her back against the wall as she adjusted her hat in habit. Her fingers moved to her jacket pocket, feeling Felix's unused special grenade through the leather."Maybe...I think this deal just got more complicated than its wor-"

Sasha slammed the side off her fist into the wall behind her, causing Fiona to jolt when the vibrations touched her back."Stop that Sasha! You're just gonna wear yourself out."

"Why ain't you more pissed about this?!" Sasha spoke through gritted teeth, her face turning flushed now that there was enough blood in her system to do so. Fiona leaned back slightly as her sister glared daggers into her. 

"He didn't just put me in danger Fiona! He put his own damn friend in the cross fire! I mean, he's Hyperion so I'd EXPECT nothing less but...I thought...DAMMIT I actually thought-!" Sasha almost sounded amused, as if she was laughing at her own stupidity, their stupidity. Fiona couldn't help but cringe, familiar memories of Felix's safe house flooding back.

But the anger in her sisters eyes quickly deflated into something colder, and a lot more tiered. Sasha leaned back, letting the air escape her stinging lungs."...I almost died man."

Everything went silent, and stayed that way for what felt like a long time in that red hued dimness.

"...I know." Fiona's voice was low as she placed an arm attentively over Sasha's shoulders. Leaning in close until their temples were touching. "I know. I'm sorry...I'm sorry this all went to shit. All of it." 

In truth Fiona had wanted to be angry at Rhys. A part of her wanted to find the ugly-boot wearing jackass so she could beat five elemental colors out of him. But something had happened on that platform, something that had unsettled the con woman right down to the core. 

She didn't want to tell Sasha. Not yet, not while her sister was still raw with emotion.

She should have warned Vaughn but...

Shit, she wasn't even sure what to warn him about.

had she imagined it all?  
\--  
Atlas were artists when it came to their sleek architectural designs, and Vaughn might have appreciated the companies apparent love for long enclosed hallways; had he not been lost in one. But they were lit at least. Making it easier for him to find his way down the passages without the risk of tripping over anything, or anyone for that matter. 

There was no other sound to drown out the echoing clatter of Vaughn's own feet as he continued to run. With the amount of noise he was making the accountant wouldn't have been surprised to find Vasquez waiting for him around the next corner, gun in hand. His thoughts didn't improve much when the first sharp echoes of gunfire began to ring out somewhere ahead. 

"Rhys!" Vaughn said the name almost like a curse between his short uneven breaths. The fear of getting shot himself suddenly overshadowed by an even greater terror. He was starting to wish he had put a treadmill in his office instead of an exercise bike.

_Please be okay. Please be okay. Please, please be okay!_

He expected to see blood, he expected to see his best friend on the ground with a bullet between his mismatched eyes! What he hadn't expected to see was a pair of well tailored pant legs sticking out at the next turning, twitching violently.  
Vaughn stopped with such a jerk his upper body almost went flying forward without him. It took the accountant a moment to hear the guttural gasping sounds over his own panting; squinting his eyes in an attempt to make sense of what he was seeing.  
Vasquez's gun was on the floor, smoking and giving off suspicious sparks. The weapons former wielder was on the ground, legs and arms jolting with violent spasms in an attempt to get free of the person pining him down. Vaughn stood frozen to the spot, unable to believe his near-sighted eyes. 

Rhys hadn't even heard anyone approach, attention too focused on the task at hand as cold and warm fingers crushed against a straining windpipe. He had almost forgotten the pure gratification that came from being the last thing someone saw before dying. Watching the light slowly flicker out of their eyes was always so personal, so very hands on; if you didn't mind the pun. If only Vaughn could have seen Rhys' toothy grin as he kept mismatched eyes on Vasquez's purpling face, the accountant might have just ran back to Fiona and Sasha. 

"R-Rhys?!"

The taller mans back straightened, head cocking over his shoulder to reveal one electric blue eye that swirled and adjusted upon seeing Vaughn."Oh, heeeey Cupcake! The drones finished cleaning up? hah awesome-awesome!"  
Vaughn blinked, looking Rhys up and down as he shook his head slightly."R-Rhys! What the hell are you-!"

There was a sharp crunching sound.

Vasquez went limp, arms and legs hitting the floor with a clank that was louder than it should have been. The shorter man felt all the heat drain from his body, blue eyes widened into saucers. Rhys hadn't even looked down, his attention casual and lazed as he stood brushing his clothes and rolling his shoulders with a smirk and a sigh."Well! That's shits done. Let's go get that Gortys thing and ship off!"  
Vaughn looked from Rhys, to the very still; and quite clearly very dead Vasquez on the ground behind the lanky man. Slow brain still taking it's sweet damn time to process the very wrong and straight up bizarre scene that has played out in front of him. That familiar and strange sensation of not being sure if he was dreaming or not was quickly returning. 

He jerked with a yelp when Rhys clicked his fingers inches away from his nose."Yo! Come on Kid I haven't got all day! Let's get moving!"

Rhys began making his way down the hallway, his stride different in a way Vaughn couldn't quite pin point because his mind was too busy screaming the next set of words that finally managed to escape his mouth.  
"R....Rhys! You...you freaking just...holy shit Rhys you _killed_ him!"

The taller man turned back, raising a well groomed brow in bemusement. "Er, hah yeah. I did. Cus haha you know he was just trying to kill us right? Or do ya not remember the whole gun being pressed into your skull thing back there?" He held his index and middle finger to the port side of his temple, as if Vaughn needed a demonstration. 

The account couldn't help but touch the side of his own head in meek remembrance. "Yeah but, Jesus Rhys ...did you snap his neck?!" 

That wasn't just pushing a button and sending someone out into space. For one thing Vaughn had never seen Rhys so much as throw a punch, let alone sit on a guy and crush his juggler. Everything about the mental image was just wrong. But there was Vasquez's cooling corpse, and Rhys smiling with an air of...something Vaughn had never seen in him before. 

"Hah! I know right?" Barely took any effort with this baby." Rhys idly rolled his cybernetic wrist as if excising the tendons. " But that's Hyperion property for ya. I mean, this arms ugly as sin but-haha- I dig the pressure controls." 

"What?!" Vaughn couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had not just heard that. Was this even real? Had he took one too many glass shards to the head back there? He was at a loss of what to say, mouth hanging open and closing as the words just failed him.  
The man in front of him was more than happy to fill that silence.

"Dawww don't look at me like that short-abs." Rhys continued, his arms outstretched in a show of mock reassurance. Or maybe Vaughn was imagining the mocking part? But there was just something about the way Rhys was smiling at him."Old swoopy Mc implants had it coming." The taller man chuckled, running a hand through his hair and upsetting the slicked back style. 

"No idea why you're so upset actually...well unless...haha unless." There was a pause.

Blue and brown eyes suddenly locked on Vaughn in a way that made the hairs on his neck stand to attention."Unless of course, you got something out of him not biting it?" 

Vaughn knitted his brows, at first taken aback by the weird nicknames, but now utterly confused by his friends increasingly strange mannerisms and actions. "Wha...what's that supposed to mean?"

Rhys was suddenly walking towards him, and Vaughn found himself backing up for reasons he didn't quite understand yet. Despite his tall stature, his friend had never exactly been an aura of intimidation, but somehow Rhys just seemed...bigger somehow. Their height difference never being more notable then now as he approached. Vaughn was forced to stop when the back of his shoe knocked against Vasquez's lifeless leg.

"It means-" Rhys was now standing so close Vaughn had to crane his neck to keep eye contact."- I haven't forgotten that little deal you struck up with Vasquez, Cupcake."

"W-ha what?!" Vaughn got the urge to look back at the corpse behind him, but didn't dare look away from Rhys. This was insane, why was his breathing so uneven? He couldn't have been scared, scared of Rhys? No that was stupid. Wasn't it? " Why are you bring that up now?"

His friend was smiling, but there was something in his eyes that just made the gesture far to threatening for his usually soft face. The sudden slap on the shoulder did nothing to reassure Vaughn as Rhys laughed and shook him slightly." Oh no reason. No reason, just-em. I just wanna make sure we're still cool? Ya know, that we're on the same team I mean. Cus we kinda still don't know how Vasquez found us so fast. Yep preettty weird if you ask me."

Vaughn felt his throat drop into his stomach. Fear mixed with heart ache flooded his chest. The grip on his shoulder wasn't tight, but the fact that it was Rhys' cyber arm touching him wasn't helping his increasing pulse rate. He stared up with confused, hurt eyes, but only found unreadable piercing ones staring back. 

"Rhys...come on man, y-you know I'd never betray you. What's going on with you? Y-you're not acting right! You don't kill people- at least not like that-"

"Don't kill people? Haha What? Are you stupid?"

Vaughn wasn't sure what cut deeper, the mocking laugher or the rhetorical question. 

" We're on Pandora Kiddo. Number one 'kill or be killed' dust ball this side of the galaxy. Besides, it's written in the Hyperion bylaws that all traitors get one privet trip to strangulation town. I should know, I wro- read. I read it."  
Vaughn blinked."...Did you just call me Kiddo-ah!" The sudden feeling of artificial fingers digging into his shoulder made Vaughn clench his teeth, cutting off his own question.

"Which is exactly why I want to know where we stand?" Rhys changed tones so fast there could have been whiplash."So tell me kiddo, how do you think Wallet-head found us so fast?"

"R-Rhys you're h-hurting me! Sto-GAH!" The pressure on his shoulder only tightened, metal hand clicking against the strain. Vaughn automatically reached up to try and pull Rhys off, and was reward for his efforts when a finger began to cruelly dig under his collar bone. The smaller man fell to his knees, a yell threatening to escape his mouth as the pain really set in. 

"There are only two people on this planet who knew where the Gortys project was AND has access to Hyperion tech. And let me tell ya pumpkin, I sure as heck didn't invite anyone else to this party. So that just leaves you." 

Spots danced around Vaughn's vision as he stared up at Rhys through watery eyes. The look of confusion and hurt on his face did nothing to ease the cyborgs grip."I d-d-didn't call anyone Rhys! I swear I didn't! I wouldn't-GAH I wouldn't set everyone u-up like that!"

The pain was threatening to knock the accountant out as he sat on his knees shaking, taking heavy breaths while he tried blinking away the tears.

"Now see, how am I support to believe you? I mean come on you've kinda put me in an awkward position Kiddo. The con-artist babe and her sister, yeah they'll probably stab me in the back sooner or later. Ptt I mean come on their Pandorans, am I right?"  
"Rhys-p-please stop-"

"But I can't exactly leave Rh- myself on this shit rock alone without protection. Even if that protections a chick with a pea shooter and her trigger-happy bandit sister."

Vaughn was pretty sure he was going to pass out, he had grabbed Rhys' arm as the man had talked, but that wasn't doing much but scratching the paint job. He wasn't sure if he was tearing up from the pain or the fact that Rhys was causing it. This just couldn't have been real.

"You on the other hand-hah! Get it? Hand? Yeah- you don't really add much to this merry little band do you, my weirdly ripped friend?"

Vaughn had one eye scrunched closed but the other widened at his words, searching Rhys' face in pure betrayed disbelief. His friend did an almost comical shrug in response, sighing as if Vaughn just being there was starting to get exhausting."Yeaaah and considering you're kind of a liability as well as being kinda sorta really useless-"

Vaughns shoulder was released, only to be replaced by the feeling of rough padded fingers snaking around his throat. His back it the floor hard, knocking out what little breath he still had as the hand closed around his jugular.  
_This wasn't happening._

Rhys was above him, making hushing sounds and muttering soft 'just let it happen' as the darkness threatened to cover Vaughn's vision.  
_This wasn't happening._

He gasped, hands clawing at the cybernetic arm as his legs kicked uselessly. 

_This wa...sn't happ...en..ing._

It was getting harder to think, harder to blink out the blackness as the world began to go dark. Maybe it would be over sooner if he just allowed sleep to take him? He couldn't move his arms much anymore anyway.  
On the edge of consciousness, Vaughn wondered if he'd just wake up back on Hyperion like nothing had happened. Rhys, him and Yvette would eat lunch together and have a normal work day, Rhys could even still get his promotion. That would have been nice...

The sound of electricity rang out in the hallway. 

Rhys turned just in time to see the blur of blue smack hard against the side of his head, the impact could only be described as brutal as the taller man went flying into the wall, body smashing against it hard and leaving him a crumpled heap on the ground.  
"SHIT!" Fiona stood holding Rhys' stun baton at arm's length, a look of shock on her face as she glanced from it to the coughing form of Rhys."This thing's got a lot more juice then I thought!"

Vaughn was left gasping as his lungs struggled to refill themselves. He wasn't even aware Fiona was there until she was helping him to his shaking feet."Come man! Get up we need to hall ass!"

"I'm gonna **kill** you."

The con-woman glanced up to find Rhys was already on his knees, glaring at Fiona was such viscous contempt it was practically feral. There was a trail of blood seeping from his Echo-port, the familiar blue glow flickering on and off like a broken light. She didn't even hesitate, drawing her derringer with Vaughn's arm hanging over her shoulders.

"Back the hell off." She warned, eyes narrowed as Rhys got to his feet. The stun Baton was in her other hand, pressed against Vaughns side as she kept him standing. The accountant still seemed to be dazed, his breathing hoarse and desperate. His eyes were wet and wide as he stared at Rhys with such horror there might as well have been a monster blocking their exist.

The tall man seemed to be considering Fionas gun, she could tell just from his calculating expression he was weighing his odds.

"Haha okay woah. Let's back up here." Rhys held up his hand, stepping back in an almost playful manner before laughing like everything had been a joke."I think haha- there's been a liiiitttle bit of a misunderstanding here. Come on Fiona, just put down the gun and I'll explain-"

"Yeah. No. Back up Rhys. There is clearly something wrong with you so keep your damn distance." Fiona wasn't about to let the Hyperion anywhere near them after seeing what he had been doing less than a minute ago. 

Vaughn suddenly lost the strength in his legs, his full weight pushing down on Fiona and forcing her to adjust her balance. It was only for a second, but it was enough time for Rhys.

The cybernetic arm slammed into the con-artists stomach, sending them all toppling to the ground in one chaotic mess. Vaughn slipped from Fiona's grip, she didn't have much time to plan out her next set of actions, she just knew if that hand wrapped around her neck she was screwed. Her fingers reactivated the Stun baton just as Rhys drawing back his arm for a punch. Maybe it was her pandoran instinct that made her wield the thing like a knife, but it was pure dump luck that the tip found its way into that port hole. 

Everything happened so fast. Electricity seemed to surge everywhere in brilliant blue and white hues, it was so bright Fiona had to scrunch her eyes shut for most of it. But maybe that was a good thing.  
Rhys screamed in a guttural, animalistic manner. His Echo-eye flickering and rolling in violent spasms, internal circuitry unable to cope with the sudden burst of energy. Behind the shrieks of pain Fiona could make out sounds that reminded her of an over-heating computer. That was when she noticed the burning smell, her eyes widened.

She pulled the stun baton away, her fingers losing their grip as the thing rolled off into the darkness. 

Rhys twitched and throttled, convulsions worsening as he rolled off the con-woman, cyber arm thrashing against the floor hard enough to make dents. Sparks were flying out of his Echo-port now, the removal of the baton not fixing the clear internal damage. Fiona wasn't sure how to feel, but it sure wasn't relief or victory as she watched the man practically fry from the inside.

Finally, by some silent mercy his arm stopped in mid swing, dropping to the floor before Rhys followed suit, slumping to the ground like a string-less puppet. His eyes stayed opened for a second, glazed and hollow. Then, the light in his echo-eye went dead, and the man fell into blissful unconsciousness. 

Vaughn had been lying on the ground, watching the scene play out with hollow uneven breaths. He stared at Rhys' motionless body, not really paying attention as Fiona shook him and tried to sit him up. The world began to spin, and he fell into that same blissful darkness.

Just let it be a dream.


End file.
